Inuvik LNG Project

Inuvik has two power plants, one designed to run on diesel and one designed to run on natural gas. Ikhil, a natural gas well in the Mackenzie Delta, powered the gas plant from 1999 to 2012, when gas stopped flowing. Inuvik’s diesel generators, used as standby power for the town, generated the town’s power in 2013, while NTPC looked for solutions.

As of November 2013, the gas generators are running on liquid natural gas (LNG), imported from southern Canada by truck on the Dempster Highway. Liquid natural gas has a safety record going back to 1964 and is a safe, clean fuel that costs about 10 to 15 percent less than diesel, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about 25 percent. LNG, if spilled, simply evaporates and leaves no residue.

NTPC is currently investigating the potential to supply other communities on the road system with liquid natural gas, to fuel community generators in combination with diesel.